Sweet, Salty And Everything In Between
by Lenli
Summary: A collection of one-shots about the in-betweens of a loud rambunctious red head and a sweet shy bluenette.
1. Moment 1

**Title:** Sweet, Salty And Everything In Between

 **Author's Note:** Hey, guys! I'm Lenli, an inactive writer in for sometime now. Well, that's going to have to change since I fell in love with this Shokugeki ship. Yes, MeguSou, I'm looking at you. With hearts in my eyes~

Chu chu~

Anyway, forgive any grammatical errors and any other errors that I may make. Consider this a warm up after a _really, really_ long time of being a lazy bum.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Moment 1: Childhood**

Megumi looked on as Souma placed a spoon near his lips and blew on it. He stared down at the bowl in front of him. The clear soup's scent wafted up to his nose, making him inhale it with eyes closed. He tipped the spoon into his mouth and took in the soup with one go.

A warm breeze swept over him. Suddenly, he was eight again, sitting on a floor made out of tatami mats. He took a whiff of the scent from the kitchen and followed its scent. The sound of laughter and banter floated to the threshold where he was standing. He popped his head in and stared.

The sun streamed inside the little kitchen. There was the smell of a pot with different herbs and spices bubbling away in one corner. A blue-haired little girl his age stood on a kitchen, peeling vegetables over one side of the sink. An older woman was there beside her, telling her to be careful as she peels. Aside from the sounds of sink running and the knife chopping, they was a content silence. Occasionally, there were the playful banters and teasing.

And she would smile.

And the memories would flow. A gentle touch. A soft kiss. A playful tickle. A soft lullaby. And he felt warm inside.

He couldn't help but stare. She was something else. She was warm. She was bright. She was beautiful. She was something that he had never seen in a very long time since his mother had left.

She was sunshine.

He opened his eyes and instantly, he was fifteen again. He let out a contented sigh. He turned to Megumi who had been there all the while. She was definitely something. She was able to do something that he hadn't been able to do for a long time.

"So how was it?"

He gave a toothy grin and laughed.

"Are you kidding? It was great!"

She had brought him home.

* * *

Comments? Suggestions? MeguSou requests are okay with me~


	2. Moment 2: Family

**Author's Note:** Alright. I seriously need to shape up. More writing on the way. Chapter two up next!

* * *

 **Moment 2: Family**

It was only an survival instinct. Everyone in the Polar Star dorm knew better than to stay where they were when Yukihira Souma would utter those dreadful words.

"I've also got a new dish ready that I just made up, you know? Would you like some?"

They knew that they had to run. Really, really _fast_. If any of them were too late, there would be almost no chance of escaping.

"Tadokoro," Souma called out to her with a sinister smile. "You seem to be hungry." He held out a honey coated squid tentacle with his chopsticks. "You oughtta give it a try."

Megumi felt her stomach lurch at the sight of the ghastly thing. "I-I'm good, Yukihira-kun, t-thanks," she said with a weak smile. She held up both of her hands. "M-Maybe la—"

"Nonsense, Tadokoro," he said with a smile. "You have to try it—"

"Now, now, Souma. Let me show you how to really sell something." Joichiro turned to his son with a similarly sinister look. "After all, one does learn from observing the master." The older Yukihira started slowly at the young girl. "I know that you would be more than thrilled to try my dish, wouldn't you, Tadokoro-kun?"

Remember what I said about having almost no chance of escape if any of them, in this case, Megumi, were caught? The chances diminish exponentially when one encounters both father and son in this destructive mode.

He offered her a plate which gave out a terribly disgusting smell and aura – one that was pretty sure might be her last if she didn't have the guts to refuse. "It's tuna with a strawberry and cherry sauce," he said. He gave her an evil smile. "You are welcome to give it a go, Tadokoro-kun."

"I-I don't know..." Tadokoro stammered.

"No, try mine first," Soma said. "The squid and the honey are bound to be more...memorable."

"But nothing beats the combination of the salty tuna and the sweet and tartness of strawberries and cherries," Joichiro retorted. "It's the fruitiness and fishiness that get it to taste the way it's supposed to."

"You sure about that?" Souma said, giving his father a sneer. "I know my dish is _terrible_."

"No, _my dish_ is terrible," Joichiro countered.

"Squid with honey is even more disgusting."

"I doubt that. You couldn't even beat me when you make something good."

"Honey squid!"

"Strawberry-cherry tuna!"

"Honey squid!"

"Strawberry-cherry tuna!"

Ah, the bickering. It was a perfect opportunity to get away , no?

And so, the wisest thing that Megumi could do was exactly just that: crawling away silently while the two Yukihiras were still on with their heated bickering. As she reached the threshold successfully, she sighed with relief.

She had lived to see - and taste - another day.

What got her to turn, however, was a mystery. She kept a small smile to herself at the sight. Why father and son did what they were doing was something she didn't understand. But it was funny. And charming. It was endearing.

She quietly left the threshold and went up the stairs skipping.

Oh well. It was a family thing.

 **EXTENDED ENDING:**

"Um, hey, where's Tadokoro?" Souma asked as he looked around the empty kitchen.

"You're right," Joichiro mused. "Wonder where she could have gone."

"Probably my dish scared her bad," his son thought aloud,his grin growing even wider. "Oh well. That only shows how _disgusting_ my dish is."

"Are you joking?" Joichiro said with laughter. "It's obvious the strawberry and cherry tuna got her to leave!"

"No way! It's the honey squid!"

"Strawberry-cherry tuna!"

"Honey squid!"

"My dish is more disgusting!"

"No, mine is!"

"No, mine is!"

* * *

Maybe I ought to try those dishes, no? Oh, wait. I remember. I actually _value_ my life.


	3. Moment 3: Dreams

**Author's Note:** Alright, fluff mode back on! Third chapter, coming up!

* * *

 **Moment 3: Dreams**

On a morning when the cherry blossoms were flying in the spring breeze, she stood in the crowd. Small, helpless, afraid, feeling as though she were hanging on a knife's edge. She held a tight fist against her small chest. Her stomach flipped. Her fingers were frozen. The feeling of dread was so bad, she didn't even have the will to start shaking.

She was barely able to pass by senior year in junior high yet, she couldn't help feeling that she was one step closer to ending everything she had been working hard for.

 _A failure._

 _A dunce._

 _A useless student. Last place in the entrance exam._

 _How did she even get here in the first place?_

It wasn't a surprise why people were saying these things about her. They were true, anyway.

"Then, I'll keep it short and sweet. I'll say two or three things." The microphone screeched for a bit. The rest of the words were muted out for some reason she didn't know. She stared at everyone around her, their faces twisting in anger and contempt. Others leered and others whispered.

 _That transfer student is as cocky as shit!_

 _Damn that bastard!_

 _Who the hell does he think he is, that jerk?!_

 _Guy's all talk! Talk's so cheap, he can't afford to pay the tuition fee even he sold his kidneys for all we know!_

 _Maybe he should just go, like that girl over there. The one with a handful of E ratings._

 _I know, right? I wish he'd get expelled quickly!_

She hung her head even lower. And the whispers were hostile again. For a while, it was about the transfer student. Now, it was all about her again. She knew that they were going to hurt terribly, just as they always had.

 _I should just go home_ ," Megumi thought to herself, her tears on the verge of spilling. _Then, all of those whispers will stop._ The light had long subsided with every word released. Her knees finally gave way. She felt herself start to shake. The stares began to hurt. The whispers grew louder and louder. The words stung with as twice much worth of pain. The words she feared the most kept coming back, haunting her.

 _Failure._

 _Dunce._

 _Useless._

"Stop it," Megumi said in a shaky whisper. "S-Stop it. Stop—"

"Hey. Nice to meet ya." Her eyes snapped open to a soft bright light. The smell of flower fields suddenly floated in the air. What was it? Lilies? She looked up to a bright blue cloudy sky. The breeze was soft and warm. The mellow sound surrounding was instantaneously familiar to her, for the sound was the sound of home. The sound of the sea.

She looked ahead. There in front of her was a sillhouette, slowly coming to where she had fallen. It had taken its steps slowly, as if to carefully approach her as to not to scare her. She stared at it as it carried on, half-afraid yet confident that it wasn't anything dangerous.

When it was finally a step away from her, Megumi saw it give a toothy grin. She flinched and looked at its face. Her heart raced. She had never seen such bright, spirited golden eyes. Slowly, it reached out for her. Surprised, she found herself doing the same, shakily offering her own.

It grasped her hand firmly, pulling her up. When she took another look, the shadows disappeared to show bright red hair blowing in the breeze, golden eyes shining, and a smile cheekily calling her out.

She caught her breath.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" A wink and she fell deeper under its spell. "Let's go!"

And then, the two of them charged ahead as Megumi dragged along.

"B-But where are we going?!"

Bright eyes burned into hers. "Forward, of course," was the reply. "So c'mon!"

She was afraid, still unsure. Yet, she felt that somehow, she could believe in this.

"Don't lag behind, Tadokoro!"

"S-Souma-kun!"

And so, they went forward.

* * *

"Hey, Megumi-chan, breakfast is ready! Let's go down together," Yuki hollered as she tapped on her door. "Isshiki-senpai's helping out Fumio-san and the entire kitchen's smelling great!"

No reply. She tapped on the door once again. "Tadokoro, are you up?" she cried out. She placed her chin on her hand. "Strange. She's normally one of the first to get up among everybody else in Polar Star." She placed a hand on the knob and twisted it just to try it.

It was unlocked.

 _Oh crap! It's open! s_ he said with a panic. After looking around to make sure, Yuki let the door fall slightly underneath her weight. A tiny ray of light from the hall cracked into the dark room. She placed an eye on the tiny opening.

In her sheets, she seemed so small. She was still curled up, her legs close to her chest and her arms reaching out in her sleep. She stirred and slightly pouted, burying herself deeper in her covers. Then, she a small smile grew on her face.

"Wait up...Souma...kun..."

At that moment, Yuki knew better and slowly closed the door behind her. She placed her hands behind her head and hummed.

Ah, it must have been nice being Megumi.

* * *

Haha~ Thanks for the one hundred and fifty views and the one hundred and six visitors! Small victory, I know but we all have to start somewhere. Thanks for the support, guys!


	4. Moment 4: Smiles

**Author's Note:** Dang, the fam and I were out-of-town for a couple of days. Since I already broke the streak, I will be writing the three chapters that I have been thinking up during the trip. And to think that this was supposed to be published yesterday but the server wouldn't take the file upload because of an error, saying that it wasn't in MS word format when it really was. I sigh.

Oh my goody! We're at 597 views and 275 visitors! Thank you, thank you so much guys!

Now, a good reason for me to work double time!

 **toro:** When you mentioned the "Yukihira-kun" mistake, I took another look at it and I went,"Oh. So I did space out a little during work." Sorry for that. However, thank you for your review~

 **Ostap2424:** Thank you so much! I'm glad that you find my work very comfortable and enjoyable. Adulthood? Yeah, I think I can do that! Sexy stuff? Um, maybe? A very racy idea like that deserves at least a second thought. I'll think about it, no?

Anyway, chapter four coming up!

* * *

 **Moment 4: Smiles**

"Hey, guys, gather 'round!" Yuki cried, waving one hand from the part of the Polar Star's vegetable garden she was standing on. "Let's take a picture with the farm!"

"What's the occasion?" Ryoko asked. She stood up and placed a hand on her hip. "Working on the farm at morning isn't something to be really excited about. Why the sudden photo taking?"

Yuki pointed to her camera. "Special moments are not the only things that make memories," she said with a smile. "It's the ordinary things that make up most of everything in life anyway." She stuck out her tongue playfully with an impish grin. "Besides, I want to take something different since I already took pictures of a majority of us in our sleep."

"So you sneaked into everyone's rooms then?" Megumi asked with a weak smile.

"Oh not all of them," Yuki replied smugly. "I didn't get to take the guys' pictures since we're not allowed to cross their territory. Except Marui, of course, but he was drunk on the floor when I took his photo and he didn't look cute at all."

"Why on earth did you do that?!" Marui cried out, raising a fist. "Haven't you heard about privacy?! I didn't even give you permission to take my photo at all!"

"We were in your room when I took your photo because Isshiki-senpai had that party last week, remember?" Yuki reminded him. "Basically, I wasn't doing anything to hurt your privacy. And mind you, I did ask for your permission!"

"You can't count that! I was asleep!"

"A mumble was good enough for me!"

The loud conversation carried on. Souma, on the other hand, gave a toothy grin of approval. "Let's do it!" he said. "Taking pictures is a great way of keeping fun memories alive! Plus, my dad asked me to send him something from Polar Star. What better idea than a photo of everyone in the dorm, right?"

Everyone buzzed in agreement. "It would be an honor for us to send a photo of the recent Polar Star generation to a former Second Seat," Isshiki said. "But I don't think any one will say anything against my work outfit now, will you guys?"

"Um, you're only in something that covers your genitals, Isshiki-senpai," Megumi said rather bashfully.

"That is exactly my point, Tadokoro-chan!" he said seriously. "I look really good in this emfundoshi/em, mind you."

"Um, whatever you say, I-Isshiki-senpai," Megumi stammered, raising her hands in front of her.

"Alright, alright, settle down, everybody," Yuki yelled as she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. She plopped the stand on the ground. "Arrange yourselves where everyone can be seen. Taller people in the back, shorter ones in front." She lashed a finger at Daigo and Shoji. "Don't step on the vegetables, you knuckleheads! We want a farm, not a wasteland!" She cried out suddenly. "Oh, I forgot about Granny! Arrange yourselves and I'll be back in a few minutes!"

Yuki dashed back into the kitchen, her voice ringing out through the dorm as she called for Fumio. Meanwhile, the shuffling occured for a couple of minutes, with Daigo and Shoji noisily shoving each other around, Marui trying to get the both of them to stop, and Isshiki discussing with Ryoko what would be the best pose to show to the camera. Souma placed his hands inside his sweatshirt's pockets as he observed the commotion. He turned beside him to see Megumi observing the ruckus just like he was.

"Well, isn't this exciting, Tadokoro?" Souma said. "It's going to be our first group picture of Polar Star."

Megumi nodded. "I haven't really had a group picture like this for sometime," she mused. "The last one that I had was probably the one with my elementary classmates a few years ago and the one with all of my family and friends before I left Tohoku."

"Really? That sounds nice," Souma said. "The last one I had was in elementary school when everyone had to dress up in those really weird costumes our parents made for the school play. That was embarrassing."

"That sounds kinda cute, Souma-kun," Megumi said with a small giggle.

"It wasn't at all," Souma said with a tiny pout. "My old man still keeps it around only to tease me about it." He grinned evilly. "Sometimes, I wish it would just go away. You know, like burn into ashes or fall into water and rip apart into soggy pieces so that he would finally stop making fun out of it."

"I don't think that that's much of a big deal, you know," she said, hoping to comfort him a little . "I've got a handful of embarrassing photos, too, and they're not that bad."

"Oh yeah? You'd gag yourself if he let you see it."

Megumi shook her head. "I wouldn't look at it if you didn't want me to," she said. "Even if I did, I'd actually do otherwise." She gave him a big smile. "After all, an elementary school Souma-kun seems kind of funny and sweet. I would like to see it someday."

At that moment, the entire scene seemed to have frozen in time. The sounds of everything and everyone disappeared. The only thing he saw was how the light shone on Megumi's braids, making it glint like sapphires. Her skin glowed to a porcelain finish as she stood in front of him, her hands behind her back as she bent slightly in front of him. Her soft pink lips were curved into a smile which took his breath away.

Souma gaped. Was she always this different?

"Alright, everybody, get ready!" Yuki's voice broke through Souma's train of thought. "I've set the camera on timer mode so we have a good ten seconds!"

Amidst the shuffling, Souma didn't understand why he couldn't take his eyes off her. Even as they were pressed together, shoulder to shoulder, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Up close, where he could see her when Megumi was pressed next to him, he still couldn't take his eyes off her.

What was wrong with him on that day?

"Um, Souma-kun, I think it's time to smile at the camera."

"Huh, what?"

 _Ping._

 _Flash._

 **EXTENDED ENDING:**

"Yukihira Jouichiro-san."

"Yup, that's me," Jouichiro said casually as he walked up to the door of his hotel room. The finely dressed hotel personnel handed him an envelope to which he took into his hands. Jouichirou thanked the man and closed the door behind him. He glanced at the envelope and opened it. He scanned the contents briefly before he broke into a peal of laughter.

"So it was good that I placed you in that dorm," he told himself. He grinned mischievously. "You better start thinking about thanking me for sending you there." He stared at the photo.

"Well done, Souma."

* * *

And here is the fourth chapter. On to the next~


	5. Moment 5: Strength

**Author's Note:** Aweeeeee... I leave this baby for a couple of hours and this is what I get? Nine hundred and ten views with three hundred and eighty three visitors? Awwwweeeeee... Give me a hug, you guys! And also, an additional bear hug for the follows and favorites!

 **Ostap2424:** It was no biggie responding to your review~ And I'm glad you still find the chapter satisfactory, even with all the errors. Haha, reviews will come eventually, I guess. I'm just happy that some people still even read my work when there's so much to read and chose out there. I will work hard, I promise~

 **Hime:** I love this baby, too! I somehow wish that Word of God will let this ship sail. (Can you imagine the SouMegu babies? Oh how adorable~) Thank you for the review and I promise to willingly create more chapters on this cute ship.

 **narusaku143:** Hahahaha, I will! I'll try my best to write longer ones! Thanks for dropping a review!

Anyway, moving on! Chapter 5, coming up~

* * *

 **Moment 5: Strength**

"You need a hand for that?" Souma asked as he stared at the rather shaky stool. Megumi jerked her head and went back to reaching up for the kitchen cabinet. "I could give you a boost, you know."

"It's fine, Souma-kun," she replied. She grunted as she continued to reach up. "You've done most of the prep work for the mousse. At least let me get the liqueur."

Souma raised a brow at her. "You sure?" He continued to stare up at her back. "It's pretty high up there."

"I can manage, don't worry." Megumi continued to stretch. She felt a breath of relief when she felt the smooth wooden surface of the cupboard's interior. Her fingers roamed around carefully as she felt the different bottles to discern each of their shapes. Meanwhile, Souma stared around the room, looking at everyone completing there own mousses. He whistled a small tune, his arms nonchalantly crossed over his chest. Well, they could take their time. After all, they had about twenty minutes or so to spare. He wasn't even sure how they breezed through most of the work while the others were still in the middle of the activity.

In a few minutes, he heard Megumi hum in approval. "I've got it!" she chirped and showed him the bottle. He grinned at her. "Great! Now all you need is to get down—"

The door slammed open with tremendous force, sending waves across the floor and the walls. A flash of blonde hair ran pass the threshold. "Yukihira! What the hell have you been doing slacking off?! I finished class earlier than you—"

The already shaky stool went down in one huge swoop. Megumi felt the surface of the stool disappear under her feet. She let out a cry as her body rushed to break onto the ground. Everything was in slow motion. The faces of all their classmates looking at her with wide eyes and dropped jaws. The look of terror on Takumi's face as he stood there, unable to do anything while watching Megumi fall. The way the bottle of liqueur fell onto the ground, breaking into a hundred million little pieces and splashing its contents all over the surface.

Her body felt limp. The air whooshed against her. The only sound she heard was her heart pounding in her ears.

She squeezed her eyes, hoping that maybe the fall wouldn't hurt so much.

The silence had become deathly now. Her heartbeat pounded even louder. She held her breath.

 _Thump._

 _Thump._

 _Thump._

"Ugh!" The sound of the stool tumbling down on the floor reached her ears. She felt a hammock-like thing supporting her, swinging her gently in the air.

"Whoa, that was _really_ close!"

She opened her eyes and gaped. Souma's worried face was above her, his arms holding her up to his chest bridal style. His eyes bored into hers, shining brightly at the thought that she was alright. For a few seconds, she did nothing but stare at him. She never realized how soft his hair looked, it made her want to touch it. His arms were toned, probable from carrying the weight of all those sacks in the kitchen and for working in the kitchen for hours. She felt his strong warm chest against hers, his heart beating as wildly as hers.

Her breathe hitched in her throat. Her face felt hotter by the second. "S-Souma-kun—"

"Wow," Souma breathed out a nervous laugh. "You're - uh, you're even lighter than I thought."

He had saved her yet again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Oh, who am I kidding? This is borderline _cheesy._ Sorry guys. On to Chapter 6~


	6. Moment 6: Distraction

**Author's Note:** And we have reached past the one thousand mark for the views and the five hundred visitors mark in less than a week! Major milestone, MAJOR milestone! Gosh, guys! I don't know how to thank all of you! Thank you for all of the encouragement, support and the ideas. I will try harder to make more chapters filled with romance and loveliness on this adorable couple (while wishing that it might become canon someday~)

 **Ostap2424:** Oh, you are too much! I should be thanking you for everything! In fact, you've given me such a good number of ideas to work with! And as a thank you, I dedicated one chapter for you which will be published in the future. More love~

 **evolvelove:** Thank you for dropping a review! I will try my best to keep writing and evolve more!

 **WhiteValkyries26:** Hahahaha, please hold on! I wouldn't want a reader to end up leaving! And I so am in synch with you! Yes, yes, we ALL need a little MeguSou in our lives, I can agree to that! I can definitely see the adorable kitchen demons running around with their knives and spraying the condiments around!

 **Grandeth:** If you think you're dying out of diabetes in this story, I definitely know I'm living off on it. Hahahahaha, I can't help myself when it comes to this couple. Let us gush over them as this couple's fans, no?

 **toro:** I am glad to be living up to the standard of being better! Thank you and I will try my very best to keep it up and, if not, try and surpass the level.

 **Guest:** I'm glad that you liked it! No way, it doesn't irritate me at all! I like reviews! They tell me if I'm doing a good job or not so it's not a big deal. Hahahaha, looks like the "First Kiss" one shot is very much popular here! Don't worry. It will come in due time. Every chapter here is planned so I assure you that it will be posted and dedicated to those die-hard fluffy MeguSou shippers. And thank you for the support! Visitors will come eventually but people who read my work like you are the reasons why I remain inspired writing this fic!

Anyway, this will be a little short but Chapter 6 is up!

* * *

 **Moment 6: Distraction**

Focus. One of the things needed in the kitchen, lest you want to chop off a finger or burn your hair. Megumi knew that ever since she knew how to turn on a gas burner at a tender young age. Any chef knew that.

And yet, here she was assembling the food processor with half of her mind floating in space.

She wanted to kick herself right now.

Her eyes wandered aimlessly, only to find it landing on a little glint of red at the next station. Suddenly, it moved. Megumi caught her breath and tensed up, quickly turning back to her counter. At that moment, she instantaneously became this amazingly clumsy human being whose badly sealed food processor started choking up bits and bits of duxelle all over her work station.

"You! The girl near the back! Keep your head in the game!"

"Y-Yes, chef!" She shifted her vision to the task in front of her. She took a deep breath. No, not now. Not at the moment. This was not the time to be suddenly floating in nothingness and thinking about nothing at all.

She stared at the clock. There was still time. Her body tensed. She cringed at the thought on how she absentmindedly took so much time doing thirty minutes of prep time when the work could have been done in much lesser time.

However, there was _just enough_ time to assemble the crepe, duxelle, prosciutto and the filet mignon, roll them all up with the puff pastry and then bake them in the oven for the remaining period. From the looks of it, it seemed that she had enough time to make the hollandaise sauce along with the poached baby vegetables.

 _Alright_ , she told herself, _I've got to work a little faster now! I've barely got time to slack off already!_

Her body on autopilot, Megumi's mind could no longer catch up with her actions. Surprisingly though, everything went more smoothly compared to thirty minutes ago. In a matter of minutes, the beef was assembled, brushed with egg wash and ready to go. She slipped the little steak inside the preheated oven and set the timer to twenty five minutes. She sighed as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

Great. There was only the hollandaise and the poached vegetables to attend to.

She felt her eyes drift away again to the same direction for the second time. Megumi shook her head and closed her eyes. No. Not again. She needed to focus. She—

"Hey, Tadokoro!" Souma called out to her from his station, waving his hand at her. "Looking good over there!"

She froze. Should she turn to him? Or should she just ignore him? Or maybe she should just continue cooking?

What should she do?

What _must_ she do?

"Yukihira Souma! Focus on your dish!" the professor hollered for the second time on that day. "You better be sure that the hollandaise sauce is not broken when you serve it!"

From a corner of her eye, she saw Souma sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with a smile. "Yes, chef! Will do!" And he went back to work.

So that was what Megumi did as well.

But as she poached the vegetables, she made sure to keep her head down low enough for no one to see the heat creeping up her face. She fumbled with the spoon and sighed helplessly.

If only she hadn't caught Souma winking at her.

* * *

Wonder if you guys can guess the dish they're making? Haha, anyway, moving on to chapter 7~


	7. Moment 7: Hope

**Author's Note:** And here I am again, a little late (okay, _very_ late) but still alive, no? I know you probably hate me now since I have not been active for much time. Plus, I promised some of you ( especially Ostap2424-san) that the next chapter should have been published last month and I didn't get to do that. Anyway, I'm terribly sorry for the not-so-frequent updates since college and life gets in the way and yeah, sophomore year is what everyone in the department calls The Year of Instant Death. So, slowly but surely is the way to go. Plus, there's also hoping not to die in the process thing, but yeah I'm really sorry, guys.

Me and my excuses~

Look, we have reached the three thousand mark for the views! Oh gosh, I don't know how to thank you guys!

Oh and another thing! I was also a little busy in updating this baby because of one very important thing.

Drum roll, please.

It's my friend's birthday in two weeks! So as a birthday present, I decided to write a nice seven-part story for Reader-chan and Aldini Takumi because you have to admit: Takumi is **BAE.** As with the other bishies in the cast but since he's her favorite, I'll be writing about the romance between them. You can eventually read it soon so yeah, hope that you'll take a little look at it (and pretend to be Takumi's bae while you're at it, hahaha.)

 **Ostap2424:** Hahaha, no flattery here, my friend. It's all true and I really do thank you for the inspiration. And as for the dedicated chapter...Well, we'll eventually get there. Plus, it's okay if you didn't get to guess the dish. It isn't really something pedestrian but the thing looks de-lish. Yum. Haha~

 **narusaku143:** Longer, eh? Will do what I can, boss!

Whew, long author's note. Anyway, Chapter 7 coming up!

* * *

 **Moment 7: Hope**

"Hey, Tadokoro, I just realized something," Souma said simply as the two of them walked on.

Megumi turned to him. "What is it, Souma-kun?" she asked.

He took out his phone. "I just realized that we've known each other for almost a semester now and even live in the same dorm but we still don't have each other's numbers yet."

Megumi stared at him for a second and gaped. He was right! How could she not have noticed? They have been classmates and dorm mates even but she still didn't hold his number yet. The semester was almost half way done and yet, they didn't even have each other's emails!

What was she thinking?!

"T-That's right!" she blurted out in shock. "H-How could that have happened?" She flicked out her phone in a hurry, her hands shaking badly. She shook so hard, she repeatedly kept on pressing the wrong keys, making her face heat up. "I-I swear that I thought of asking f-for your email and yet I often forgot since there were a lot of things going on! I-It's not that w-were not friends or anything! I-It's just that—"

"It's fine, it's fine," Souma told her assuringly. He fished out his phone as well and flicked it open. "You're right, there were a lot of things that happened within the semester. Whew, first day was the toughest, right? Good thing we breezed right through it!"

 _You meant it was tough for_ you _, right, Souma-kun?_ Megumi thought with a sour note. Not that she could blame—Oh wait, she could.

He literally did dig out his own grave, after all. Then again, it really _was_ he who gave out that really audacious entrance speech. And to think that she immediately got paired with him an hour later (and boy did luck like to screw with her, didn't it?).

Well, one of the perks of being Souma.

"Let's get to it, then?" He pressed on his key pad as he made a new contact. "So, your number?"

"How about I text you?" Megumi offered, pressing on her own key pad to make a message. "After you give me your number, then maybe you can just save the number with my name, right? Then you could do vice-versa."

"Sounds good," Souma replied and showed his number to her. He turned to Megumi. "So when will you send me the text, Tadokoro?"

"I'm making it right now," Megumi answered without looking up at him. She stopped pressing her pad. "I've just sent it a few seconds ago. It will come shortly."

A few seconds went by and Souma's phone buzzed. He opened his inbox and the message with it. His face lit up. "Alright, so I've got your email now. I can finally contact you when I want to, Tadokoro."

She smiled. "I guess so." A quizzical look followed. "When are you going to text me, then?"

Souma gave her a toothy grin. "Oh don't worry. I send one soon enough."

"That's rather unfair, Souma-kun!" Megumi cried. "I thought that you'd give me your email!"

"And I said that I will soon, right?" Souma said with a laugh. She frowned slightly at his words. "But I gave you my number already! That's not fair, ya know?!"

He broke into a bout of laughter and placed a hand on her head.

"W-What are—"

"Don't worry, I never go back on my word," Souma stated simply. He brought his face close to hers. "I'm definitely bound to text you soon so don't get too hung up over it."

Megumi felt her heart rise up to her throat. Her cheeks started to heat up. But she didn't really do anything. She simply stared at him in the sunset light, bathed in bright red and gold, making his smile shine even more brilliantly. The weight of his hand on her head was a little heavy and she wanted to swat it away and tell him to stop teasing her already.

But at the same time, she somehow didn't think she would really like to do that.

"….Tadokoro?"

"Huh?"

"I said let's get going. That dinner's not going to cook by itself, you know."

And she stood there, watching his back as he nonchalantly placed his hands behind his head. He turned to her with a cheeky grin. "The last one to get to the dorm will get to clean up after all the dishes tonight!"

"What?!"

"Not only for the night! The entire week, even!" Megumi paled at the thought. The number of dishes that all of them use up for one night was a ridiculous number. Who in the right mind would want to clean up after all those?!

"Oh, well, I'm out!"

"Souma-kun, that was a head start!"

"Then, catch up!"

The sound of Souma's laughter and Megumi's outcries filled the path all the way back to Polar Star.

* * *

Megumi sighed. She opened the door to her room and flicked on the lights. She took the towel from her head and placed it on her shoulders as she wiped her hair. Finally in clean pajamas, she was ready to hit the books before going to bed. There was nothing like studying when you finally feel refreshed.

As she approached her study table, her eyes trailed to the tiny square item shining under the light of her lamp. Topaz eyes stared on sadly. _Didn't he say that—_

Well, maybe he was busy. Or asleep, even. Whatever the reason why he didn't send a text yet, she was positive that he will. He will send her a text, just like he promised.

Right?

Wait, why was she even thinking about that?

She shook her head. _Focus_ , she told herself. _You can think about that later, Megumi. You can think about that after studying._ Homework would be a good distraction. After all, they have investment mathematics tomorrow and she still didn't understand the idea of future value of annuity. Math would be a good distraction. Yes, yes, a break from these kind of thoughts.

She sat herself down on her chair and got out her books. "Alright," she whispered to herself fiercely. "I will get started on my homework and get that test right! No more funny business!"

And so she opened her books.

For an eternity of five minutes.

After that time mark, she had not only dropped her attention towards her books. She had also dropped her forehead onto the surface of her study table, being the most unproductive sloth she could ever be, all with one thought in mind.

 _Will it come?_

She stared at the phone, a sigh of defeat. How many times she had looked at her phone with so much longing, she didn't know. Why she kept on doing it, she really didn't understand either.

Why was he so unfair?

Why was she even concerned about this? This was all very confusing for her and she found it so frustrating to think of. It was just a phone number. She was pretty sure that he would eventually give it to her, anyway. And it was not like she could demand it from him.

So really, why was she acting like this?

She groaned. "This is not doing me any good," Megumi mumbled to herself, her face against the surface of the desk. The ticking sound next to her was definitely not helping. She stared at the clock right next to her. It wasn't even ten in the evening yet. Was it mocking her? Well, she might as well go to sleep. Being in that state didn't really seem to be productive.

She slowly got up and pushed the chair back inside the desk. Stretching her arms above her head, she yawned and gave a little groan. She blinked once, twice and her eyes drooped. So much for studying.

Just as she turned on her heel to face her bed, the sound came. Out of nowhere, the cheery ringtone played, filling the silent corners of her room which made her heart skip a beat. Her hand flew to where the sound came even before her mind could think of doing so. She flipped it open and saw the unknown number, her heart thumping even faster. Her thumb ran over the keypad and pressed the confirm button. A little shaky and breathy, she read the message.

And her heart sank.

 _From: Yuki-chan_

 _To: Megu-chan_

 _Hey, Megumi! Just textin' you to remind you of the girls' night out for this Friday (which is tomorrow, by the way!) Ryoko and I'll be seeing you in that café!_

A sad smile grew on her face. She pressed to answer.

 _To: Yuki-chan_

 _Oh yeah! So this is your new number? Sure thing, I'll definitely be there. Don't worry about it, I've been looking forward to it as well! :)_

She didn't even remember pressing the send button nor saving Yuki's new number in her contacts list. She clamped her phone shut rather dejectedly. Of course, it wasn't him. She shouldn't have assumed that the next message that she would get would be Souma's. As she thought, he must have been busy or something or asleep, even. He would send her a text, just not now. She was sure of it.

Just as she opened her phone again, it was yet another unknown number. This time, it was a call. Strange. She was pretty sure that she had saved Yuki's new number or was she? Maybe she had called again to ask her about homework or something. With a sigh, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, it's me." Topaz eyes were wide with shock. Megumi could hear soft laughter on the other side of the line. Her mouth went dry. Her heart fluttered.

"S-Souma—"

"Yeah, I know I kinda promised you that I'll text you but," his voice broke into nervous laughter, "I really didn't know what to write or what to say to you, you know?"

She simply stood there as the voice went on. "So that's why I decided to call you, instead! Besides, I did kind of wanted to hear your voice all of a sudden. "

"O-Oh." That was all she could say. The chirping of the crickets outside suddenly seemed so loud and the night air became too fragile to break. Thoughts were running through her mind in a wind of confusion. She had wanted to say so many things, yet she could only focus on the sound of his voice.

There was a silence in between that lasted for a few moments. Megumi felt a bubbling feeling in her chest, rising up in her until she burst into a peal of laughter.

"Huh? What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just hoping that you'd text me soon and then you called me," Megumi said, still giggling.

"And who said that I wasn't going to answer your text?"

Now it was Megumi's turn to be confused. "What do you mean, Souma-kun?"

The voice on the other line chuckled. "Let me answer that." A pause was heard. "To: Tadokoro. From: Yukihira Souma."

"Yo."

Then, the two of them giggled like little children, their laughter filling the night air of Megumi's room.

* * *

A texting chapter coming from a person who doesn't have text mates. Hahaha~

Moving on to Chapter 8~


	8. Moment 8: Loss

**Author's Note:** And so I am finally back. And I also know that all of you want to kill me. Hehehe, sorry guys, me and my excuses again. You know, school is one hell of an ordeal. Can you imagine it? My entire batch took the department finals and only five passed. FIVE. Is that even a FREAKING number?

As in our circle of friends' own "language", I can only say this.

OHMYGOD. I AM DIE.

And as I said, I am about to post the entire Takumi X Reader thing on FF, and possibly on my other account as well. I have an AO3 account but then again, I just recently got it so, it's still a working progress.

But before all that (sorry for the advertising), let us now continue to the next chapter!

More SouMegu love!

 **Ostap2424** : I'm glad to hear that from you (although that this was probably written to me like two or so months ago.) Thank you for wishing me well in my studies, it means a lot. You don't know how much I need it, especially with the cut off grade. (shivers) Still a loyal reader as ever! I hope I won't let you down with this chapter!

 **MichaelThao24** : Thank you so much for understanding! And with this update, there will be another chapter for you to review and review! (Hahaha, just kidding. ;))

 **HeartStirringWanShot** : Oh my gosh, a new fan! (Well, at least the time when this review was given.) And to think it's a new _SouMegu_ fan! I am—OMAYGOSH WELCOME TO THE CLUB XD

 **rachan-akari:** Oohhhh, you make me blush! C'me here, you~ (gives a bone crushing hug)

Ananonoddish: Thank you so much! It's so wonderful to hear that coming from you! I hope that you will continue to enjoy reading. :)

 **Narusaku143:** Oooohhhh….I'm so sorry. And to think I read this after almost two to three months after you gave this review. (bows repeatedly) I really am sorry!

 **Crimson Breeze:** Thank you saying that it is adorable! I really do enjoy making fluffy moments between them because, hey, that's **exactly** what I love about this ship! And yeah, as you have guessed, I was pretty busy with school life and I got a tooth extraction (which was not pretty. Seriously, the only redeeming things I got when I did get my tooth extracted were the tubs of ice cream and the excuse to slack off and watch anime instead. I even got to watch the second season!) But enough about me! I welcome you to the fandom!

Alright, that sums almost everything up, I guess. Onto the chapter~

* * *

 **Moment 8: Loss**

 _Of all the times she had known him, Megumi had always thought that he would be the honest type. The type of person who would say what was on his mind without any hesitation. The type who would say things as is and not as he would like to see them happen nor to cause any kind of disruption. After all, he was warm and kind, not the type to play around with other people when it came to something important and something heavily reliant on trust._

 _But she was wrong._

 _Megumi felt her hand clench into a fist._

 _She was wrong. And she felt so stupid._

 _When he first started it with her, he said that he was never going to say anything otherwise, and there was nothing else going on underneath. Nothing funny, nothing at all. Everything was as supposed to be. He even promised her that he would take it easy, take things slowly. And it was supposed to be fair, a give and take thing._

 _She smiled bitterly._

 _She remembered when she had first found out. It was through Yuki when they were talking about how something that she and Souma had been sharing was supposed to be fun and simple. And for a second, Megumi thought that she might cheerily agree, like she always did._

 _But then, there was that grim look on her face, the angry, unforgiving type._

" _Oh, you didn't know?" Yuki said with a bitter laugh. "He's… He's such a player. I wouldn't believe anything that he'd say about things like that ever since…" With those words, she looked away. Her blue green eyes were cold, as cold as the feeling Megumi was suddenly getting when she had heard these words coming out from her friend._

" _Since when, Yuki-chan?"_

 _She was silent. And it scared Megumi._

" _Yuki-chan, why…why won't you say anything?"_

 _Her friend continued to look away, shifting uncomfortably in her seat._

" _Yuki-chan…P-Please say something."_

 _A moment of silence was between them. Then, the words she didn't want to believe in came tumbling out of Yuki's mouth._

" _He cheated on me. Since the day I found out he lied."_

 _And so, she went on to realize that he said the same thing to every other person he had done this entire—charade—with. He had said the same thing to everyone. It was the worst game that he had done with every single person he had tricked so far._

 _And it wasn't just her. He had done it with Yuki, Ryoko, Marui, the guys, probably even Ibusaki, even if he didn't say anything about it. He even went as so far as to go for Nikumi, Alice, Kurokiba and the Aldini twins, which up to now, still left a bitter aftertaste in Takumi's mouth while Isami, the more forgiving one, just didn't want to think about it anymore._

" _It just gets too tiring to remember what he did to me," the younger twin would say with a weak smile. He placed his hands together and propped his forehead on them. "Well, not just me, to be honest. I worry more about Brother, though. He's the one who got it hard."_

 _And with that, her perfect image of him broke into tiny shards of hatred, leaving her with nothing but confusion and disbelief._

 _And so she was sure._

 _Next time, for sure._

 _She was going to end it all._

* * *

"Seven, going up."

Megumi frowned. She placed a card down on the pile. "Eight, going up."

Souma gave her a low whistle. "That was low. You almost got me." A smirk grew on his face as he slammed another card on top of the pile. "Queen, up all the way!"

Megumi gripped her cards. She closed her eyes, fearing that if she saw the boy in front of her, she might do God knew what. "How sure are you when you said that?"

Souma paused. "What?" he looked at her blankly. "What do you mean, Tadokoro? You know that I—"

"Oh am I? How am I so sure that _you're_ so sure about that?"

Souma was taken back. "Sure, I am. Why would I say otherwise—"

"Not when I asked everyone!" Megumi faced him, her topaz eyes burning. "Because I sure did, and I know now! I know everything!" She slammed her hand of cards, causing them to fly all over the floor. "I'm so stupid to have believed that what you would tell me would be true! And to think that I really believed it!"

Her shoulders shook as she clenched her fists tightly at her sides. "You lied to me! You lied!" she said in small whispers. "How am I supposed to see those other times now?"

Souma stared at her, genuinely surprised. "Tell me, Souma. How was I supposed to see it?"

For a while, there was a silence that covered them and the space between. Then, with a small chuckle, Souma replied.

"Well, what did you expect? It is a game, after all. You are there to win, right?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Plus, it pretty is much the entire purpose of the game, considering that there are only four of each kind in a set of fifty two cards, inclusive of jokers. You don't even know if how many of the same card will fall into your hand, minus the one underneath the stack. Naturally, you eventually _have_ to lie about which card you place."

Megumi slammed her hands on the table. "But it isn't fair! You said you won't lie!"

"Really?" Souma said with a surprised tone. "I thought I said that I wasn't going to say anything otherwise. I didn't say anything about _not lying._ " He leered at her. "Did you seriously think that I wouldn't think twice doing it?"

Megumi felt the heat rise up to her cheeks. "S-Souma!"

The boy laughed. "Well, it is true. People did think that what I said meant not to lie or anything." He held up a finger as he remembered. "Ah yeah, especially that time with Takumi and his younger bro! He was so pissed since I told him that whoever the loser was had to go around the entire school wearing that Poco Bear badge all day! Plus he'd treat the winner to ramen too!"

"Seriously?!" Megumi cried in disbelief. "So I lost by playing fair and square!"

Souma clicked his tongue. "Yup, that's exactly it!"

Megumi fumed. At this, she stretched over the table and started clawing out to Souma in frustration. "Souma, you cheater! And to think I treated you for so many times with my lunch money! You cheater, cheater!"

"Oh no,no, you lost because you lost, that's all," Souma said with a laugh. "That had nothing to do with me~"

"Oh yes, it did!" Megumi cried. "It's because—Woah!"

All of the cards on the table flew and dropped to the mat. The table came crashing forward and so did she. She closed her eyes and grunted. When she opened them, her breath was caught in her throat. Her eyes widened. Never. Never had she seen Souma this close, and she was on his chest no less. They were so close, one more inch and they…They would have…

"Hey." Souma's eyes bored into hers. "You're…"

She swallowed hard. "…Y-Yeah…"

"Your card really _was_ a seven!" he said as he stared at the card he picked up. "Wow, and to think that you really didn't lie, Tadokoro! That's actually amazing!"

"Of course I didn't lie! But I know that you did!"

"Nonsense! How would you know?"

"Because I'm pretty sure that I disposed all of the queens _and_ tens earlier so I call Liar! And there's no way that you can convince me otherwise anymore!"

"Eh, no way!"

"Liar, liar! You're nothing but a big fat liar, Souma-kun! A liar!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! That my chest, you know! Aren't you taking it a little too far?!"

* * *

Did you _seriously_ think that I would _destroy_ this ship? Hahahahahaha, my dear pretties! Well, it was Bullshit. Naturally, Souma _had_ to lie, right? _Right?_ Say you agree with me~

And we have reached the 7000 mark! Minna, domo arigatou gozaimasu!

Onto the next chapter~


	9. Moment 9: Desire

**Author's Note:** Yes, you know what time of the year it is! It's almost Christmas~ One of my favorite holidays! Geez, how do I describe it? Christmas is fun, family, no school work, food and—most exciting of all, presents. Hahahaha, I know… I sound like a kid, don't I?

Well so much for all that, another update of course is coming your way, dear readers. And I am so happy and thankful that all of you still haven't abandoned this work and that you continued to support this.

Again, thank very much!

 **ranchan-akari:** Oh no, my dear, Souma wasn't cheating at all! He was simply taking opportunity to snag wins! You see, the game doesn't necessarily tell you to not lie about anything, it just tells you to discard the number of cards in your hand.

A short summary on the game Cheat (but seriously, I prefer the name Bullshit because, well, it just gives you a good reason to shout expletives without making it sound too obscene. Whoops~)

The aim is to get rid of all your cards by playing them to a discard pile. After having the cards distributed evenly to each player, the game begins. You basically discard the cards by calling out their name and rank (i.e. first player calls out Aces, second player calls out Twos, third player calls out Threes, so on.), placing them face down on the pile. If you don't have a card that will follow the ranking, then you can easily lie about it as to avoid a penalty of getting all of the cards in the pile. Since cards are played face down, it gives players the option to lie about the cards they are playing, but if the lie is exposed they must pick up the pile.

So, since that is how the game is played…We could say that Souma didn't cheat. He just said that "he wouldn't do anything otherwise," meaning anything that was not in the rules. People do tend to misunderstand things like that, don't they?

 **MichaelThao24:** Hope the summary up there was able to explain what had just happened. Thank you very much for the review, by the way!

 **ThePlotbunnyBreeder:** Oh my, well, I'd say that Souma was just very cunning, that's all~

 **Ananonodish:** I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you very much, I will be needing the luck.

 **KakeruPB:** Hahahaha, for once I'm actually glad to say that I got you and that you almost took the bait. Normally I would go, "I'm sorry I had to do that," and stuff but yeah, seeing that you had fun made my day!

Anyway, moving on! Chapter 9, coming up!

* * *

 **Moment 9: Desire**

Souma groaned. For what seemed like the eighth time in fifteen minutes, he had gotten the same stupid result over and over again. He stared at the ball in his hands, waiting for the message to float up.

 _No._

"Ugh," Souma moaned in disgust. He turned to Isami, who wore a smile on his face. "Hey, Isami, are you sure this thing's not broken? I've been getting the same answer for about eight times now."

"Maybe you've been asking it the same question over and over again," the boy replied with a knowing tone. "The Ball can sense whether you're trying a bit too hard or not, you know."

"How do you know that I've been asking the same question over and over? I didn't even say anything."

"Oh I don't know. I have a good guess. In fact, I would even bet that you kept asking about whether or not you would beat Hayama-san sooner or later."

Souma gave him a cold look. "Whatever."

Isami snorted. "What a sore loser. The ball knows that you won't beat him today. Leave it at that already. If I were to say something, it would sound like you're hurting the ball's feelings since you don't believe in what it says."

Souma eyed the object in his palm glaringly. "You mean this plastic junk? If I were to think about it, this thing's a waste of yen." He placed it down on the kitchen counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Face it, you've got ripped off."

Isami turned to the red head with a smile, his blue eyes doing all the smirking for him. "We'll see about that." He picked up the ball and brought it close to him. "Alright then. Magic Eight Ball, will Brother treat me to a strawberry rainbow parfait in the café downtown tomorrow?" With a good grip, he shook the ball a couple of times as Souma looked at him. The answer floated to the surface.

 _Yes._

"Yay, Brother's going to give me a treat tomorrow!" Isami cheered. "How lucky!"

"That was a lucky shot!" Souma cried. "Try again!" Really, he didn't learn, did he?

"Okay then." Isami turned to the Magic Eight Ball again. "Magic Eight Ball, will Brother treat me to a strawberry rainbow parfait in the café downtown tomorrow?" he repeated. For the second time, he gave the ball a good shake. Again, the answer floated to the surface.

 _Without a doubt._

"Alright! I'm so hyped for tomorrow!" Isami's statement earned another frustrated growl from the red head.

"This thing's rigged!"

"No, it's not~"

"How could it not be?! You asked the same question twice! _And_ it gave you the same positive answer!"

"Didn't the same thing happen to you? You know, when you kept asking and it kept on giving negative answers?"

"Don't brag about it, and stop making fun of me!"

"Maybe I'm just lucky, that's all. Among the two of us brothers, I _am_ the more blessed one. Just look at my height, my looks and my calm disposition," Isami said with a smile.

"Yeah, that's kinda true," Souma said with a thoughtful look. "I mean, you are a lot taller than he is—" Souma felt a vein pop on the side of his head. "Wait, why am I even agreeing with you?! We were talking about how the ball was rigged!"

"Oh really? I thought we were talking about how much I was more blessed than my brother—"

"Don't try to change the subject here!"

The two turned their heads when they heard the door open. Megumi popped her head shyly through the classroom door's threshold. "Um, am I interrupting something here, Isami-san, Souma-kun?" she asked. "It's almost time for us to begin the next class and the two of you weren't in the French lab just yet so I thought of checking up on the two of you."

"Oh no, you weren't interrupting anything at all, Tadokoro-san," Isami said, a rather cheeky grin slowly growing on his face. "In fact…I think you came along with perfect timing."

Megumi blinked twice. "Really?"

Souma blinked. Somehow, he didn't like the feeling brewing in his chest.

Isami nodded. "Yup," he chirped. "And now, I think I have a great question that the Magic Eight Ball should definitely answer right now." All eyes trailed onto the ball as Isami took it into his palm and held onto it with a nice grip.

"Souma-kun, what's that?" Megumi asked as she stared at the round blue object on her friend's palm.

"A rigged piece of plastic junk that answers yes or no questions," Souma grumbled. "Don't believe whatever it says."

"Come on, Yukihira, lighten up a bit," Isami said with a chuckle. "If it really doesn't bother you, then don't spoil it for Tadokoro-chan." He turned to the ball. "In fact, I'll ask one question that we'd all like to know right now! Magic Eight Ball, is there anyone that Tadokoro likes?"

Megumi did a spit take. "W-Whaaaat?!"

"Alright then, let's see what the piece of junk says!" Souma said with a scoff. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Very well, then~"

"W-What's g-going on?! H-How did it even c-come to this?!"

Isami shook the ball hard. "Alley-oop!"

"Wait, s-stop!" Megumi managed to choke out, the heat rise up to her cheeks. How on earth did she even come to this point?

The two boys stared at her. "What, you want to do it?" Isami asked her. Megumi flinched. "It's pretty easy, Tadokoro-san. Just ask it any question answerable with yes or no and shake it hard. When you stop, the answer will float right up the surface." Isami handed the ball to her with a smile. "Here. You try it."

"Yeah, Tadokoro," Souma prodded. "After that, show him how this piece of trash is rigged!"

"You really can't move on, can you?"

"How can I when all of my answers were negative? Rigged, I tell you! Rigged!"

Tadokoro looked at the black ball in her hands, feeling its smooth surface. The blue tiny triangular dice inside swayed as the water inside it kept on moving. She blinked once. Twice. That thing was a toy, obviously. More or less likely, the chances of getting positive or negative answers were very much equal and the outcome would rely on how hard one person shook the thing. And aside from that, she really didn't know exactly _what_ to ask since she had too many uncertain things that bothered her already as she was.

She stared at the two, Isami laughing at Souma's annoyed look. She stared at the ball in her hands. With the earlier thought in mind, Megumi had come to a very clear understanding.

Basically, the latter was worked up over bad luck and timing.

But the thing was, it left that weird feeling of anticipation and curiosity.

Can this thing _actually_ give the answer to what one wishes? She knew that it would most likely be otherwise, but from the look on Souma's face, she couldn't help but laugh inside and feel a little bit disappointed for her friend. After all, it must have been some _simple_ wish, since Souma _was_ very simple-minded and not to mention, rather one-track minded.

And at that moment, she suddenly knew.

The sound of her two friends bickering slowly faded away, with her only focusing on the question she had in mind. Her golden eyes on her palms, she gave it a good shake.

" _Rigged, I tell you…"_

One good shake.

"… _a sore loser, just like Brother…"_

Two good shakes.

" _Whatever…"_

Three good shakes. And she stopped.

Megumi stared at the surface of the ball. She giggled softly, a small smile growing on her face. Souma and Isami caught her giggling, they headed over to where she was. They both leaned in to see her fortune.

"You got good luck, Tadokoro-san," Isami said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Megumi said back.

"No kidding," Souma mused. "What did you wish for anyway, Tadokoro? But then again, that was only one try so who knows what answers she'll get next time."

"I never knew that you really were the type to get hung over small things and take it upon others, Yukihira."

"No, I'm not!"

"And here we go all over again."

Megumi simply laughed at the sight of her friends. Maybe it was best that nobody ought to know about it. She liked the feeling of having the question and the answer all to herself, even if it did seem rather selfish not to tell anybody. Her chest was warm and she felt fuzzy inside. As she stared at her brash and loud red-headed friend, the question echoed in her mind and the warm fuzzy feeling she felt grew stronger.

 _Magic Eight Ball, grant Souma's wish. However silly it is._

 _Definitely._

* * *

Did I mention that we have finally reached the 9,500 mark? Thanks a million, guys!

Onto chapter 10~


	10. Moment 10: Clothes (Christmas Special)

**Author's note:** And it's the twenty fifth of December and I published two chapters in two days! I'm on a roll! BOOM, BABY! Christmas! One of the best days of the year!

And so, here's my present for you guys: A Christmas special~

 **ranchan-akari:** And as usual, thank you for the wonderful review! And yeah, I have to admit, Isami is a troll. He's not just a snark. He's a troll, doing stuff "For the Lulz."The dork. But then again, I love him. Hahahahaha!

Enough talk, onward to chapter 10!

* * *

 **Moment 10: Clothes**

Souma stuck his hand inside his hoodie's pocket and fished out a tiny scroll of paper. In the dim light of the street posts, he unrolled it, looking at the written content it held.

 _Something nice, I guess.  
Codename: Usagi-dono_

He sighed, forming a small cloud in the winter air. What would girls like? What were _nice things_ supposed to be? Should he just get one of those really smelly perfumes? Or what about jewelry? Nope, he couldn't afford it. Heck, he couldn't even afford to buy most of the expensive ingredients in class, much more women's jewelry. Chocolate? No, too plain. Besides, chocolates were for Valentine's Day confessions, not Secret Santas.

And what was with the codename, anyway? Usagi-dono? At first glance, he could tell that it was a girl, he wasn't that stupid. Putting it simply, it was a rather audacious codename and it made him slightly gag. (Ugh.) But it was definitely good. He couldn't tell who it was.

There was definitely no doubt that it wasn't Ikumi, she wouldn't go for those cutsie nicknames, though he thought that it would _somehow_ suit her. If Souma were to hazard a guess, she would probably be named "Ninja Meat Master" or "Cool Biker Babe", if he were to decide.

And well, that was the thing. It was a little hard to identify who was who since they weren't the ones who decided their codenames, but rather the persons whom they sat next to at random when they planned the Secret Santa. The only nickname he was sure of was Ibusaki's, which he gave (and labelled the poor guy "Emo Prince of Air Pollution") and to think he sat six feet chairs away from him. Other codenames were just as silly and even weirder, like "Muscleheaded Dork", "Waterballoon Bishounen", and "Game Girl" among others.

After that came the even harder part. The names were jumbled up and were taken at random. There was definitely no knowing who was who, heck there was even a chance of picking yourself up.

So now here he was, standing outside of the department store in the cold, not even sure what to get his Secret Santa. He was hopelessly lost.

"Geez, if I only got a hint," he mumbled. "Even if it's just a little!"

Well, there was no use hesitating. It was now or never. Just as he was about to take the steps going to the department store, another huge Christmas crowd came flooding out of the doors, pushing him a few steps back. He grunted as he stumbled and came in contact with another person behind.

He quickly spun around and faced the person. "Sorry, the crowd managed to drag me—"

"Oh no, it's not a problem. I should be the one to say so." The familiar voice made Souma's eyes widen in recognition.

"Hey, it's you guys!" Souma blurted out suddenly. The person he had bumped against was Ryoko along with the other Polar Star girls, Yuki and Megumi. With them were the guys from the dorm, except Marui (who was most likely studying for an exam for next year, the nerd.) "Shopping for the Secret Santa?"

Ryoko nodded. "It's rather last minute, considering all of the classes and the homework we all had but I guess it's enough time to find just the right present for each of our presents."

"Hey, hey, who'd you get, Yukihira?" Aoki said with a cheeky grin, slinging an arm around Souma. "If you got me, then I'd give you a heads up by telling you that I am in need of a good knife, ya know?"

"That's priceless coming from you since I didn't know you'd get a girly nickname," Souma said sarcastically. "Bunny boy."

"Whaddya mean 'Bunny boy?!' Lemme see your roll!" Shoji demanded, holding back his laughter.

"Eh, no way. I don't wanna spoil the fun now, won't I? And to think _Aoki_ wanted 'something nice?' Oh, priceless, alright."

"You better show me that damn paper, Yukihira!"

* * *

"Alright, let the shopping begin!" Yuki yelled, pumping her fists in the air. Ryoko nodded, waving at the boys as she and the rest of the girls pulled away from the group. "Well, we'll be seeing you guys later. "

"Remember, we've only got two hours before we all leave," Yuki reminded all of them.

Souma held a hand up in the air. "Sure, we'll be back before the time."

As the view of the girls faded away from the boys' view, the three of them turned to each other. "So, what now?" Shoji asked. He placed a hand on his hip. "Any of you idiots know? I don't know much about shopping so I'm up for suggestions."

"Don't be such a wuss!" Aoki quipped. "All we've gotta do is to shop for the person we picked for, right? I'm pretty sure that we can get something that might help us, like their codenames or something."

"As if it would be that easy, nitwit!" Shoji retorted. "We didn't even get to make our _own_ codenames!"

"At least I'm thinking of something, you moron!"

"Moron, huh, blockhead?! Is that the best you can think up of?!"

And so the fighting commenced between the two idiots that Souma knew as friends. He decided that the best course of action was to simply leave them behind since well, who knew when they would actually finish bickering? By the time they do, the mall would probably be closed already. Besides, even if they did come along, the three of them had zero experience shopping for presents, let alone women's gifts so it would be pointless if they stuck together.

"If we cover more ground, then we might be able to find a store that may make good presents," Souma thought aloud as he passed through the crowds. "Alright, that's the plan. Now, to find those smelly perfumes!"

* * *

Never. Never had he realized how Christmas shopping was so… exhausting. Shopping in the fresh market was much more bearable since of course, they would be talking about ingredients. But having to push and shove through huge waves and even more waves of people, it was exhausting.

And all for the sake of a stupid perfume.

 _That he couldn't even_ _ **afford**_ _._

Souma lifted an arm over his eyes as he flopped onto a bench in the food park. His eyes drifted to the huge clock in the middle of the park. Damn, he had less than twenty minutes. He sat up and placed his hands on his head, ruffling his hair wildly. Damn it, what was he supposed to find now when the mall was about to close in less than half an hour?

"No, no, you have to think," he mumbled to himself. "There has to be something that can be _presentable_! I just haven't found it yet!" His eyes darted around the nearby areas, scanning for any possible stores that may cater to what he needed.

They widened when they landed on one corner, a clothes shop. On the display were a pair of mannequins—one man and a woman next to him—wearing scarves in matching colors. A bulb lit up and then his entire brain got to working.

He dashed over to the store, his heart beating quickly in excitement. That was it! The answer to his problems! Damn, he was such a genius! After all, the weather will be terrible until April and the color was a nice shade of pink (wait, it was a pink, right? Or was it a pale red? Then again, he didn't care) and yellow, something girly and something he considered "nice." He made a mental note to pat himself on the back later on when he and the gang would be on the way home.

The entire thing went too fast. He didn't even remember going past the doors of the store. He practically came in flying just to get to the sales personnel. But boy, was he such a genius for thinking something up like this!

"Excuse me, miss!" Souma said to call out the lady's attention. "Can I—"

"—see the blue and yellow scarf? The one on the mannequin?"

"—see the pink and yellow scarf? The one on the mannequin?"

Souma stopped in his tracks and turned to his side. "T-Tadokoro?"

"Oh, hey, Souma-kun," Megumi replied with a smile. "What brought you here?"

"Oh, I wanted to get the scarf. You know, the one on the mannequin at the display corner," Souma answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's for the Secret Santa and it's the closest thing to nice and something that I can afford, if you know what I mean?"

"I totally understand where you're from," Megumi said. "I had a really hard time looking for something to buy since, um…" She trailed off, her eyes on the floor as she fiddled with her fingers. "They are all rather pricey."

Souma nodded furiously. "That's exactly what I was saying!" he cried in agreement. "Who on earth would charge such a huge amount for a smelly perfume, anyway?!"

"Oh, so you're getting something for a girl, then?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Megumi smiled. "Nothing, really. But it's nice to know that you're really getting into it about thinking of her. At least you're not getting her a coffee mug, right?"

"Why? Are coffee mugs bad?" Souma asked, curious about her comment.

Megumi gave a thoughtful look. "Well, no. But they _are_ rather impersonal. Plus, most people think that coffee mugs and more common stuff are rather… _lazy_ gifts. That is unless, if the person specifically asked for them or collects them. Then that would be another case."

"Oh, I never really knew that. To be honest, I never really was good with Secret Santas," Souma mused. He turned to her. "I didn't know you knew so much about them, Tadokoro."

"We used to have them in class so yeah, I can tell which gifts are pretty good ones," Megumi said with a little more confidence than usual. "But I'm pretty sure that the person you're getting this for will definitely appreciate what you're doing. I know _I_ would."

Souma felt his heart suddenly skip a beat, and then gave her a warm smile. "In that case, thanks. I wouldn't mind if you were the one I'd give this to, you know that?"

Megumi returned his grin with one of her own. "I wouldn't know about that but, you're welcome. I know that whoever would get your present would be thrilled to have it."

"Miss, Sir, here are the scarves," the saleslady said cordially as she handed the two their respective goods. "Kindly check on them to see if they are both satisfactory. If they are, please proceed to the counter for payment."

The two nodded. "Thank you. We will," Souma replied. The two went on to check their respective scarves. When they decided to head to the counter to pay, the same saleslady came up to them.

"You know, Miss, Sir, there is a special discount for this holiday season," she said. "Both of you can avail the discount for the matching scarves that both of you plan to purchase and save twenty percent off by buying them as a bundle."

"Really?!" Souma couldn't believe his ears! "Can we actually do that? Did you hear that, Tadokoro, we can get a discount if we buy this as a bundle!"

Megumi's eyes lit up. "Yeah, that would be great!"

"Yes, you and your girlfriend might even get matching couple's charm bracelets as part of our romantic Christmas get up," the saleslady continued.

"Sounds great!" Souma exclaimed. "Not only do we get a discount, we get free—

The two froze.

 _Girlfriend?_

By now, Megumi felt the world was spinning. She felt her cheeks and the tips of her ears heat up. "O-Oh no! W-We're not—I-It's not what you think-"

"Y-Yeah!" Souma stammered, his own cheeks starting to flush. "S-She's just a—W-We were just—you know—"

"Oh, no need to explain, Sir. I understand completely. In fact, we said exactly the same things you just said a while ago when my boyfriend and I first went shopping together," the saleslady replied with an understanding smile.

 _B-Boyfriend?!_

"Please leave it to me. I'll take your purchases to the counter and tell them that both of you will be availing the discount," the woman said with a wink and left with their scarves, leaving the two of them in a mess of gibberish. "Ah, how nice it must be to be young and in love."

* * *

EXTENDED ENDING:

"W-Well, at least we were able to avail of the discount, right, Tadokoro?"

"Y-Yeah."

Silence.

"We're not telling anyone, right?"

"Agreed."

 _The day of the exchange…_

"Alright! Let's move on to the next name!" Ryoko announced, taking a blue box with a huge gold bow and a snowflake charm attached to it from under the dorm's makeshift Christmas tree. "Captain Oblivious? Who's Captain Oblivious?"

"Yukihira," everyone drawled, not missing a beat.

"Hey, that's kind of rude!" Souma retorted. "Who calls a person that anyway? And who gave me that stupid nickname anyway?"

"I don't know, it suits you rather well," Takumi said drily. "Mind you, Yukihira, you did get the entire school to hate your guts without even knowing what you did. By insulting everyone unknowingly."

"Oh shut up, Annoying Foreign Chick Magnet!"

"Don't you dare call me that!"

"He's right. You'll have to tell that to Ibusaki, Yukihira," said Marui, codename: Professor Four-eyes.

"Damn it, Emo Prince of Air Pollution!"

Ryoko took a look at the tag and tossed the box to Souma. "It said in the tag that the person who gave this to you was 'Usagi-dono.'" She turned to everyone in the room. "Usagi-dono? Who's Usagi-dono?"

Souma felt his ears perk up. Finally, he was going to know. He was going to get to know who would be the one receiving his gift. He closed his eyes as he prayed that for the receiver to say something nice, well at least one eye. The other one peeked to see who would be the person receiving his gift.

"Ooh, ooh, I know!" Yuki cried, waving her hand in the air. She turned to everyone with an impish grin.

"Megumi!"

* * *

Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year! Here's to another year of blessings and happiness!


	11. Moment 11: Fight

**Author's Note:**

Happy New Year, guys!

I know, I know. You're all probably thinking, "Lenli, it's kind of... a little late for the New Year?" Haha, yeah…

It is.

But then again, I still _think_ it's the New Year since this is…Wait for it.

The first update of the year!

… And yeah, that's just about the reason why.

I'd like to thank you guys again for the continued support for this fic and for all those nice reviews as well as all those follows. Oh my goodness, did I mention? We reached the ten thousand mark! Thank you guys!

Hoping to create more chapters that will not only appease us SouMegu fans, but other fiction that my dear readers will enjoy reading!

P.S. I am now thinking of updating every Friday or Saturday, but that is still debatable. As for the final decision, I will just let you guys know. *wink*

 **Myne0** : Thank you for the opinion! I'll definitely give it some thought and improve the next time!

 **rachan-akari** : A belated Merry Christmas to you, too! The nicknames were some of those that I thought up during one of my professor's lectures since she said something about the impact of names on a person's personality. Glad you liked them, though!

 **ramennoodles23** : Awwwwww, shucks, you're too nice! I have to agree about SouMegu fics being rare. Most of them focus on Sorina and although I do respect their ship, it just didn't click with me. It was unlike Souma and Megumi when I first realized their possible ship, the voice inside my head said, "BAM! Now that _DEFINITELY_ has to sail!"

And yes, they were each other's Secret Santas.

 **Timelord Wizard:** Awe, your review melts my heart! I will try to update more, although the schedule will prove to be quite the challenge. But as I said, I will try my best!

 **07** : Thank you so much! I'm glad that you liked it!

And on to the story!

* * *

 **Moment 11: Fight**

It was Ryoko's turn to make dinner that night and she had cooked up a warm Taiwanese style congee with a tofu side. However, the sound of the fluorescent lamps blinking above the entire Polar Star dorm inhabitants and the sound of the howling wind and rain were the only things breaking the still silence between them. All of them were either staring down at their plates with a lack of enthusiasm or somewhere along the floor or the ceiling above them.

Marui and Ibusaki were never really the type to talk too much so they remained silent. Aoki and Ryuji were oddly not in the mood to bicker over anything stupid. Yuki had long given up on trying to bring up the mood. That only left Isshiki sitting in between them all with a curious confused look but without even asking, he knew something was up.

Without saying a word, they were all thinking of the same thing.

Dinner was never really the same if two chairs were empty. And not to mention that today was one heck of a monumental day.

Today, Megumi and Souma had a row for the very first time and it didn't end well.

Ryoko gave a small laugh. "What's the matter, guys? Is my cooking really that bad that none of you will touch it?" she joked.

"Of course not, Ryoko-chi!" Yuki replied. "You know that's not true!"

Marui nodded. "That's right. It's just that…"

"Yeah," Isshiki agreed, not waiting for his kouhai to finish his thoughts. He stared at the two empty plates on the other end of the table. "But can you guys further enlighten me? I didn't really catch why Souma stormed out of the dorm earlier."

"Making things simple, Tadokoro came down with a cold, didn't come to school and worried him—" Ibusaki explained first.

"—and when he found out, Yukihira got really angry because she didn't tell him a thing," Marui continued.

"Hmm, I guess that does sound like him," Isshiki mused out loud. "Carry on."

"The rest is history," Aoki finished. "He stormed out to who knows where out in weather like this."

Ryoko frowned. "Honestly, I'm worried about him. He is the reckless type." She toyed with her congee. "Who knows what he might be up to?"

They all heard the front door open and slam to a close. Their heads whirled to see a drenched, out of breath Yukihira running into the threshold of the dining room. Everyone dropped dinner, Ryoko being the first to stand up in shock.

"Yukihira's back!" Yuki cried out in apparent relief.

"Y-Yukihira! Where have you been?!" Marui was the first to ask. "And what's with the plastic bag?"

Their redheaded dorm mate merely smiled. "Oh, nothing," he said in between pants. "Just a walk in the rain to help clear my mind. Oh, these are supplies, by the way."

"You moron!" Aoki cried out as he proceeded to strangle Souma by the collar of soaked sweatshirt. "This is a thunderstorm and you were out for hours! If you had gone out any longer, we would have called police to find you!"

"It's fine, it's all fine," Yukihira said reassuringly as he hanged in the air. He waved his hands nonchalantly with a laugh. "Besides, I was just on the way to the convenience store to get myself some ice pops so there was no way that I'd go missing!"

"I knew that we shouldn't have worried about him," Ibusaki said softly as he proceeded to spoon himself some of Ryoko's congee.

"I knew that you would be fine, Souma-kun!" Isshiki said as he stood up proudly. "My kouhai would never let anything as small as a thunderstorm daunt him from going to the convenience store with all the youthful energy that he has!"

"That was not what we're supposed to tell him, Isshiki-senpai," Ryoko said exasperatingly as she rubbed her temples. She turned to Souma. "But really, we were all worried. Who knows what would have happened and where you would have gone? Especially after what happened between you and Megumi."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Souma said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry that I made you guys worry."

Everyone sighed in unison. "Well, whatever," Aoki muttered as he let Souma down from his grip. "Just don't do something as reckless as that again."

Souma grinned. "I make no promises," he said with a mischievous tone and earned groans from everyone.

"Well, now that that's settled, go upstairs and get changed before you get a cold," Ryoko told him. "After that, come down and join us."

"Yeah—" Souma started but cut himself off in a second. He was silent for a bit and then turned to Ryoko. "On second thought, can I ask everyone for a favor?"

* * *

The sound of the crashing thunder woke Megumi up in a jolt. An angry flash of lightning followed, filling her entire room and leaving almost immediately. Her tired eyes blinked lethargically as the dark room seemed to spin. She felt the pain and heat run over her entire body, making her feel (dare she said it) really bad, which felt (translated to more appropriate language) like fucked up shit.

She groaned as her brain tried to register what had just happened

Oh right. The stupid fever.

Hm, what else was—

 _It really isn't a big deal, you know? It is just a fever!_

 _This isn't something to be taken lightly! I thought that you could trust me!_

 _I thought...Never mind._

She froze. Burning golden eyes and an angry voice.

Souma-kun.

After he had barged in to her room, demanding her for answers, he stormed out. She tried to go after him but the fever got the better and forced her to go into an unwilling slumber.

And so now, here she was with a situation with loose ends. More of burning loose ends. She felt her eyebrows knit. Who knows what Souma would be up to? He was reckless and often posed a danger to himself without knowing.

Megumi buried her face onto her pillow and curled herself up into a ball. Her stomach churned in a disgusting way. He was right. Maybe she should have at least told him. He was her friend and now he probably didn't want to talk to her because she didn't tell him anything.

Just when she thought that she was trying to become less of a burden, she made things worse off. Now if anything happened to Souma, it would be her fault.

Boy was she stupid.

Breaking her thoughts were three raps on the door. She shifted out of her covers and propped herself up on her bed. "Who is it?" she croaked out in a hoarse voice.

"It's me. Can I come in?"

Megumi's voice got caught up in her throat. Souma-kun. At least, he was alright.

"S-Sure."

The door gave way to a completely drenched Souma with a grim line on his face. He walked in slowly, leaving small puddles of rainwater on Megumi's wooden floor. In silence, she stared at him as he took his spot on the floor next to her bed. For a while, there was nothing between the two of them but the sound of the falling rain outside and the rumbling thunder. Then he turned to her.

"Tadokoro. I'm sorry."

She was speechless. Why was he apologizing?

"No, it's my fault. I should have told you sooner," Megumi quickly denied before breaking into a fit of coughs. Souma immediately shot up and rubbed circles on her back. The cold sensation of his damp hand on her back sent small chills up her spine. However, she said nothing.

After a while, he pulled back. "How are you feeling? Is it getting any better?" Souma asked her.

"I think it's—" Megumi choked back a small cough, "on its worst day."

From the corner of her eye, she saw him nod curtly. Another wave of silence came over them.

"I think I understand why you would get angry at me," Megumi said softly. "I would do the same if you did what I did. It's really frustrating to be left out in the dark by someone who you trust."

Another curt nod.

"I know that you probably don't want to talk to me. I've been a bad friend."

She gripped her sheets, her knuckles turning white.

"I'm sorry, too."

Silence.

"It also started with a fever, you know. And then, everything went downhill and got worse." Megumi turned to him. Was he talking about—

"Mom did the same thing. She didn't tell me anything and Dad just said that she'd be fine." She saw his hands shake. "And then suddenly, she was gone. I didn't even get to do anything for her. I felt useless and it made me angry. So I promised that I'd never make that same mistake."

He turned to her with a pained smile. "So I got angry at myself, see? Because I was doing it again. Because I wasn't able to tell that there was something wrong with you."

The two of them just sat there, staying next to each other in the midst of the stillness.

"So I guess the both of us were in the wrong, weren't we, Tadokoro?" Souma said, breaking the silence.

Megumi nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"So it makes sense that both of us ought to forgive each other, right?" he asked her. "Me for yelling at you and getting angry over nothing."

"And me for not being so honest with you," she added.

Souma gave a small laugh. "We were stupid."

Megumi gave a laugh of her own, a more hoarse one. "I agree," she said. Before her mind could make out what happened next, she felt a cool sensation on her forehead. She gasped a little and felt a gauzy material over her skin.

A…Cool Fever patch?

 _Souma-kun…_

"I'll accept your apology," he said to her with a cheeky grin. "That is unless, if you finally allow me to take care of you. Well, after I take a change of clothes."

A soft grin grew on her lips. "Okay," she resigned as she allowed him to push her back and prop her up against her pillow. Nothing more was said as he got up and went out of her room, telling her to stay put until he came back.

"It's alright. I'm going to take a rest," Megumi told him.

"You better," Souma told her in a warning tone. "So just to make sure that you won't go anywhere, I got reinforcements!"

"Reinforcements?" she echoed. They both heard a knock on her door. A spicy smell wafted in the air and filled her bedroom slowly.

"Yo, Megumi! We've got Ryoko-chi's congee and not to mention, a tofu side that really rocks!" the sound of Yuki's voice floated from the outside.

"It was getting a little lonely without you and Souma-kun at the dinner table so we thought of an even better idea," Isshiki added.

"We decided to have a dinner party at your place instead!" Daigo finished.

A giggle escaped from Megumi's lips. She turned to Souma with a happy shine in her eyes, as though silently saying thank you. He merely smiled back and gave her a small bow.

"Don't go anywhere," Souma quickly reminded her again, pointing a finger at her as he started to open the door.

Megumi sighed. Man, was he pushy when he wanted to be. "I won't."

* * *

Okaaaayyyy. Sick fic done because there was a thunderstorm going on when I was writing this thing. I would love to have someone who would fuss over me like that. How I love my mother. *cough*I'mstillsingleatnineteen*cough*

Monumental day for me to see that these two sweeties fighting. Well, at least in this chapter.

Anyways, see you all on the next update!


End file.
